Dispensing mechanism



' Oct. 4, 1932. H. R. BRAND 1,880,753

DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 50, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet I ATTORNEY H v I 4 EEC 0 I m o u 3 M w a i Z a a n 4 l w 4 MW x w w 2 L L W 11F .A n mm J v M 3 w J m u 9% w 0 u g w a 5 I; a H

Oct. 4, R BR DISPENSING MECHANISM Filed Nov. 30, 1928 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR ATTORNEY Patented Oct. 4, 1932 eArsN 'r orric El HARRY nussELL- BRAND, or NEW YORK, N. Y.

DISPENSING MECHANISM Application filed November 30, 1928. Serial No. 322,874.

' My invention relates to dispensing mechanism and particularly to means for dispensing measured volumes of material from a suitable receptacle.

An object of the invention is to provide a valve mechanism which will withdraw a fluid from a reservoir in portions of uniform volume regardless of the head of fluid in the reservoir. V

at each operation will withdraw by suction a measured portion from a reservoir and then positively discharge such portion.

A further object of the invention is to provide in association with the valve mechanism, means for agitating the contents of the'reservoir so that the'portions withdrawn from the reservoir will be of a substantially uniform specific gravity. 7 i V My invention is particularly adapted for use in an automatic griddle cake machine of the type disclosed in my co-pending application, Serial No; 299,582, filed August 14, 1928, and has for a'specific object to provide means for withdrawing batter from a reservoir in portions of uniform volume and specific gravity and discharging the same upon a griddle. 1

lVith the above named objects in view and others which will appear hereinafter I shall claims. (i

now describe a preferred embodiment of my invention andshall thereafter v point out the novelty and scope of the invention in the In the accompanyingdrawings:

Figure 1 is a view in vertical section through a batter reservoir equipped with my improved dispensing mechanism a Figure 1a is a: fragmental view in section taken on the line 1a1a of Fig. 1; and

Figs. 2 to 4 respectively are fragmentary sectional views of the dispensing mechanism shown. in successive positions.

As clearly shown in Fig. 1 the batter reservoir 10 comprises a base portion 11 and-a top flange 12 which fitrespectively upon opposite ends of a cylinder 13, the latter being preferably of glass. Headed tie rods 14 pass a through lugs in the flange 12 and are'screwed into lugs in the base portion 11, thus tying Y "lustra-ted in said copending application. Another: object is to provide a valve which 1 the parts together. A lid 15 serves toclose an opening in the flange member 12 through which access may be had to the interior of the reservoir. The reservoir is secured by means A of bolts 16 to a bracket 17 in such position as to overlie a griddle 18. The latter is preferably arranged to rotate with a step by step movement, by mechanism of the type fully ilsecured to the bottom' of the reservoir 10 is a cylindrical valve casing 20, the axis of the cylinder being transversely disposed'with respect to the axis of the reservoir. A sleeve valve 21 is'fittedto slide "in the cylindrical casing. At each end of'thecasing there is a packing 22 of suitable material which is compressed by nuts 23 and 24 to provide a seal between the sleeve valve and the casing. The sleeve valve is provided with a transverse diaphragm 25 rigidly secured'thereto and located at a short distance from the outer endof the 'valve,-i. e., from the left hand end, as

viewed in Fig. 1. The opposite" end of the sleeve valve has a 'flange ring'26 secured thereto. "This flange ring'overlaps the inner wall of the sleeve valve forming a lip or shoulder.' Within the sleeve valve .is fitted a diaphragm 25. The piston valve isimechanically reciprocated with a stroke that is greater than that allowed between the diaphragm F 25 and flange 26, Thus the piston has a certain amount of lost motion, but near the end 'of its forward stroke will advance the sleeve valve by bearing against the diaphragm 25 and near the end of'its return stroke will withdraw the valve by bearing against the flange '26. As will be explained hereinafter,

the lost motion of the piston 27 determines inlet port 28 and at the bottom an outlet 29. 1

These ports are immediately adjacent the diaphragm 25 on the piston side thereof. In

the base portion 11 of the reservoirthere is a port 30 which opens through the valve casing -20,'and similarly in thebottom of the.

valve casing 20 there is a discharge port 31.

Ports and 31 while disposed on opposite sides of the valve casing are nevertheless off set in the axial direction of the casing and their position in such that when the sleeve valve is moved by the plunger 27 to its extreme forward position, the port 28 will register with port 30, and when the sleeve valve is withdrawn to its extreme inner position the port 29 will register with the port 31 v A piston rod 33 connects the piston 27' to one arm 34 of a lever which is 'fu-l'cruined at 35 on the bracket 17. The otherarm 36 of the lever carries a roller which engages a cam groove 37 in a drum cam 38. The latter is j ournaled upon a drive shaft 39 which rotates in a suitable bearing in the bracket 17. A

clutch 40' is provided for coupling the cam 38 to the shaft 39 whenever desired,;so as. to cause the piston valve 27 to reciprocate and dispense batter from the reservoir 10. This clutch may be operated by any suitable means, suchas-a yoke lever 41, as shown in Fig; 1, to start and stop the dispensing .valve.

Mounted on: a stud 42, carriediby t he'bra-cket 17 ,v isa lever'43,-one arm ofwhich is formed witha notch 43aadapted toengage the flange ring 26-when the sleeve valve has been moved to its outermost position (see Fig. 2). The other arm 44 of'the lever is adapted to engage a cam plate 45 "carried by the piston rod 33:. This plate has pin-andesl-ot connection with the piston rod 33 and hence is allowed a limited movement in the axial direction of the piston rod. The plate 45- is provided at opposite ends wi-th inclined cam faces 46 and 47 respectively. The arm 44 isadap-ted to he engaged by the camface 47 while the cam face 46 isad-apted to engage an arm 48 of a bell crank lever 49. The other armof lever 49 terminatesi-n a hook 50 which is adapted to hook; under the flange ring As clearly shown in the drawings, the sleeve valve 21 is formed with-a slot 51. on its underside adjacent the flange ring 26-, to receive the hook 50. A spring 52 connects'the arm 48 to the arm.44, thus resiliently tying the two levers together.

The operation of the valveamechanism is as follows: Assuming the parts to be in the position shown by Fig. 1, which position they will occupy n or1nall-y,ftheclutch.40 is thrown causing-the cam 38 to rotate, and the latter will cause the piston to reciprocate. The piston will firstmove forward, or to the left as shown in the drawings, and by pressing against the diaphragm 25 will bring the port 28 into: alinement with theport 30, as-shown in Fig. 2. The batter from the reservoir may then flow down into the port 28, butwill be prevented by the piston valve 27 from entering thesleeve valve 21. 'Du-ring the advance of the piston valve the plate 45'rode over and depressed the arm .48 stretching spring .52 and thereby exerting a downward pressure ,on the notchedarm 43, so that as soon as the flange member 7 26. V

of the reservoir. sleeve 551s the agitator, comprising a pair return stroke. During the piston movement batter will be drawn into the sleeve valve by suctlon, entirely filling the space between diaphragm 25 and piston, valve 27. By the time the-piston reaches the position shown in' Fig. 3,. the arm 44 will be depressed by the cam face 47 of the plate 45, lifting the arm 43 out of engagement with the flange ring '26.

The parts are now in the position shown in Fig). 3. Further movement of the pistonwill cause the sleeve valve to be retracted by engagement of the piston with the lip. of the At the same time cam face 47 will swing the arm 43 upward Suficiently to ride upon the skirt of. the piston valve and by reason of the spring .52. the

hook. 5O will-be raised into position to en gage'the flange ring; When the piston: reaches its inner position the port 29 is brought into .alinement with the port 3-1and the batter in the sleeve valve isthenfree to discharge through said alined ports In this position, as shown in Fig. 4, the hook 50 enters-the slot 51 and snaps into engagement with the flange ring 26, so that on the return stroke of the piston to the position shown Fig. 1 the sleeve valve is latched against forward movement. and the batter between .thepiston and the diaphragm 25 will be positively forced. out the advancing piston.

To prevent. trapping batter between the pis-' ton andth e' diaphragm 25 the inner face of the latter slightly overlaps the ports 28 and 29 and is formed with shallow recesses 53 leading to said ports. I i

order'toinsure-a perfect mixture of batter and to dispensing portions-which will be uniform not only involume but in quality as well, I provide an agitator within the reservoir which preferably is continuously driven by the shaft 39. Centrally disposed in the reservoir is a vertical shaft .54 jourj naledv in asfixed sleeve The latter is se- 7 cured to andiprojects inwardly from a, central boss 56a formed on the base portion 11 Mounted .torotate on the of paddle members 56 suitably connected together at the top and bottom, the lower portion resting upon the boss 56d. while the upper. portion is supported upon. the upper end of the shaft 54 which projects from the sleeve 55. A pin 57 in the agitator engages a slot 58 in the shaft thus keying the agitator to the shaft. Obviously, the agitator may be withdrawn from the reservoir by simply littingit out of engagement with the shaft 54 and the sleeve 55. The lower end of the shaft 5% projects through the base portion 11 and has keyed thereon a pinion 59 which,

through an idler 60, is driven bya pinion 61. The latter is mounted on the upper end of a vertical shaft 62, suitably journaled in the bracket 17. The lower end of shaft 62 is operatively connected to the drive shaft 39 by a pair of bevel gears 63. Thus shafts 39 and 5a are geared together and the agitator is constantly revolved, keeping the batter properly stirred.

As explained in said copending application in which a griddle cake making and dispensing machine was fully described, this apparatus is particularly adapted for use in restaurants where cakes are made on order so that the dispensing mechanism is operated intermittently. It is desirable, howevezgthat the agitator be operated continuously regardless of operation of the dispensing valve, so that the batter will always be in condition to be dispensed. 1

It will be clear from the above description that I have provided a valve mechanism for dispensing fluid material in which the'fluid head is not a factor, for gravity alone is not depended upon to fill the measuring valve. Whether the reservoir is partly filled or almost empty, each retraction of the piston 27 will withdraw a measured amount of batter from the reservoir by suction and upon the return stroke of the piston said measured amount will be positively forced out and deposited upon the griddle.

While I have described in detaila specific embodiment of my invention it will be under stood that this has been done by way of il lustration and does not constitute a limitation of my invention, either as to construction or as to the kind of material dispensed.

Obviously many changes may be made in form, construction and arrangement of parts without departing from the scope of my invention as pointed out in the claims.

I claim: 7

1. A dispensing mechanism comprising a fluid reservoir, a measuring valve alternately movable between an in-take position in communication with the reservoir and a dis charge position, a piston reciprocable in the valve to draw fluid from the reservoir when the valve is in in-take position and to displace fluid from the valve when the valve is in discharge position, and means providing positive engagement of the valve by the piston during a part of each stroke thereof tomove the valve positively from one to'the other of said positions, said means comprising fixed co-engaging surfaces on the valve and the piston respectively.

2. A dispensing mechanism comprising a fluid reservoir, a measuring valve alternately movable between an in-take position in communication with the reservoir and a discharge position, a piston reciprocable in the valve to draw fluid from the reservoir when the valve is in in-take position and to displace fluid from" the valve when the valve is indischarge position, means providing positive engagement of the valve by the piston during a part of each strokethereof to move the valve positively from one to the other of said positions, said means comprising fixed co-engag ing shoulders on the valve and the piston respectively and means for holding the valve stationary during the rest of 1 each piston stroke.

3. A dispensing mechanism comprising a fluid reservoir, a measuring valve alternately movable between an in-take position in communication with the reservoir and a discharge position, a piston reciprocable in the valve to draw fluid from the reservoir when the valve is in in-take position and to displace holding thevalve stationary in each of said,

positions, and means for releasing the latch mechanism in timed relation to movements of the piston. r Y 4. A dispensing mechanism comprising a casing formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, a valve slidable in the casing to alternately uncover said ports, a piston in the casing and adapted to slide the valve but having lost motion with respect to the valve, and positive latching means for holding the valve stationary during lost motion of the piston.

- 5. A dispensing mechanism comprising a casing formed with "an inlet port and an outlet port, a sleeve valve slidable in the casing to uncover said ports alternately, a piston in the valve andadapted to slide the latter, the piston having lost motion in the valve, and positive latching means for holding the valve stationary during lost motion of the piston. 6. A dispensing mechanism comprising a cylindrical casing formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, a transverse diaphragm slidable in the casing, a piston reciprocable in the casing and adapted to move the diaphragm from one. port to the other and vice versa, said piston having lost motion with re spect to the diaphragm, and positive latching means'for holding the diaphragm stationary during lost motion of the piston.

7 A dispensing mechanism comprising a casing formed with an inlet and an outlet 1! inlet and outlet ports at opposite extreme port, a sleeve valve slidable in the casing, a

transverse diaphragm in the sleeve valve, a

stop on the valve spaced from the diaphragm,

a piston inthe valve adapted to reciprocate the same by alternately bearing against said diaphragm and said stop but having lost motiontherebetween, the valve having ports adapted to register alternately with said'inlet and outlet ports at opposite extreme movements of the valve, and meansfor holding the valve stationary during lost motion of the piston. V I t 9. A dispensing mechanism comprising a casing formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, a sleeve valve slidable in the casing, a transverse diaphragm in the sleeve valve, a stop on the valve spaced from the diaphragm, a piston in the valve adapted to reciprocate the same by alternatelylbearing against said diaphragm and said stop, but

having lost motion therebetween, the-valve having'ports adapted to register alternately with said inlet and outletports at opposite extreme movements of the valve, and latch mechanism controlled by the piston for holding the valve against movement during said lost motion.

10. A dispensing mechanism comprising a phragm, a piston in the valve adapted to re ciprocate the same by alternately bearing against saiddlaphragm and said stop but having lost motion therebetween, the valve having ports adapted to register alternately with said inlet and outlet ports at opposite extreme movements of the valve, latch mecha-' nism for holding the valve 'stationar and cam means connected with the piston for applying the latch mechanism at the end of each stroke of the valve, and releasing the latch mechanism at the end of the lost motion interval of each piston stroke.

11. A dispensing mechanism comprisinga cylinder formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder with a stroke greater than the axial distance between said ports, a sleeve valve interposed between the piston and the cylinder, said sleeve valve havi a transverse wall .28 a u adaptedto be engaged by the piston during a part ofone stroke thereof: and having also a flange adapted to be engaged by the piston during'a part of the opposite stroke thereof,

the valve being formed with an inlet port and an outlet port immediately adjacent the iii-- ner face of the wall, the spacing of the wall and flange being such that at the end of one stroke of the piston the inlet ports of the casing and the valve will be brought into registry and at the end of the opposite stroke the outlet ports will be brought into registry,

a latch fof holding the valve in inlet position duringlost motion of the piston away from said wall, a second latch for holding the valve in outlet position during lost motion of the piston toward said wall, and cam means operating said latches in timed relation to the i movement of the piston. I

' 12. A dispensing mechanism comprising a cylinder formed with an inlet port and an outlet port, a piston reciprocable in the cylinder with a stroke greater than the axial distance between said ports, a sleeve valve interposed between the piston and the cylinder, said sleeve valve having a transverse wall adapted to be engaged by the piston during a part of one stroke thereof and having 7 also a flange adapted to be engaged by the piston during apart of the opposite stroke thereof, the valve being formed with an inlet port and an outlet port immediately adjacent the inner face of the wall, the spacing of the wall and flange being such that at the end of one stroke of the piston the inlet ports of the casing and the valve will be brought into registry and at the end of the opposite stroke the outlet ports will be brought into registry, a pair of latch levers adapted respectively I to hold the valve during lost motion of the piston, a spring urging the levers into latching position, and means for positively releasing said latches alternately in timed relation 1 to the movement of the piston.

"13. A dispensing mechanism comprising a casing formed with an inlet port and outlet port, a sleeve valve slidable in the casing, a transverse dlaphragmin the valve, a flange also carried by the valve, a piston in the valve having lost motion between the diaphragm and the flange, the valve being formed with ports adjacent the diaphragm and adapted to register alternately with said inlet and outlet ports, the valve being moved by said piston to register with said ports, latch levers adapted to engage the valve and hold the same against movement during lost motion of the piston, a piston rod for actuating the piston, and acam on the piston rod adapted to engage the latch levers and effect positive release thereof in timed relation-to the movement of the piston.

14. A'dispensing mechanism comprising a fluid reservoir, a measuring valve alternately movable between an intake position in communication with the reservoir and a discharge position, a piston reciprocable in the valve to draw fluid fromthe reservoirwhen the apart of each stroke thereof to move the}.

valve positively from one to the other of said positions, said means comprising fixed coengaging shoulders on the valve and the pieton respectively, a piston operating means,- a drive shaft, and, a clutch for operatively connecting the piston operating means to the drive shaft at will. I

15. A dispensing mechanism comprising a fluid reservoir, a measuring valve alternately movable between an intake position in communication with the reservoir and a discharge position, a piston reciprocable in the valve to draw fluid from the reservoir when the valve is inin-take position and to displace the fluid from the valve when the latter is in discharge position, means on the valve engaging the piston during a fixed part of each stroke thereof to move the valve from one to the other of said positions, a piston operating means, a drive shaft, a clutch for operatively connecting the piston operating means to the drive shaft at will, an agitator in the reservoir, and means operatively connecting the agitator to the drive shaft to cause continuous agitation of the fluid in the reservoir.

In testimony whereof, I have signed this 1 specification.

HARRY RUSSELL BRAND. 

